- India has slipped from 10th to 23rd place in the 2026 Climate Change Performance Index, with the biggest drop coming from its renewable energy performance.
- The report attributes the decline largely to India’s continued dependence on coal, the absence of a coal phase-out timeline and the rise in coal-based power generation, despite strong growth in non-fossil power capacity.
- Increasing absolute emissions and major constraints in the power sector, including limited investment, inadequate transmission capacity, storage gaps and grid stability issues, continue to affect India’s transition pace.
- Concerns have been raised about both the inclusiveness of renewable energy expansion and the CCPI rating approach itself.
India has slipped from the 10th to 23rd place in the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2026, shifting from the group of high performers to the medium performing countries category. The index, which compares climate performance of countries, was released by Germanwatch, the NewClimate Institute and the Climate Action Network on the sidelines of the ongoing UN climate conference (COP30) in Belém.
India has remained among the top 10 countries in the CCPI for six years since 2019. The index assesses the climate performance of 63 countries and the EU across four categories: greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), renewable energy, energy use and climate policy. In the latest edition, India received a medium rating in GHG emissions, climate policy and energy use, and a low rating in renewable energy.
CCPI lists several policy actions taken by India on the climate front. It notes that India is signalling long-term intent through a formal climate strategy, ambitious renewable energy targets and established efficiency programmes, including appliance labelling under the Bureau of Energy Efficiency and the Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) mechanism. The report also highlights recent policy developments, such as the green finance taxonomy and the national carbon market framework.
It notes that renewable energy deployment continues to expand through auctions and fiscal tools, supported by falling tariffs and strong participation. India also reported achieving 50% of its installed power capacity from non-fossil sources in 2025, well ahead of its 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) target.
Despite these gains, the report identifies several reasons for the drop in the ranking. It states that India’s national pathway remains anchored in coal. The country has no national coal exit timeline, continues to auction new coal blocks and maintains fossil-related subsidies and infrastructure. India remains among the 10 countries with the largest developed coal reserves and plans to increase production.
The CCPI also documents social and environmental concerns related to large renewable energy projects, noting that top-down siting has led to land conflicts, displacement, water stress and reported cases of ecosystem degradation and human rights impacts.
D. Raghunandan, one of the contributors to the CCPI climate policy evaluation, said, the drop in ranking is closely tied to the electricity sector. “Most of the drop in ranking is due to the continuing rise in coal-based power generation. But it is also due to the continuing rise in absolute emissions. In fact, the rate of growth of CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels is decreasing, which is what India has always projected in its NDC.” He is associated with All India Peoples Science, a network of over 40 organisations spread across the country.
Ranjan Panda, another CCPI contributor, said structural challenges also contribute to the fall. “India is certainly showing intent to move to green energy sources. Several green energy projects are marred by controversy because they have not adopted inclusive, sustainable approaches. Local people and the environment have suffered. India, a leader in energy transition, has the potential to address these issues by promoting a just transition in which local people and ecosystems are real stakeholders, and benefit from the process rather than being further marginalised.” Panda is the Convenor of the Combat Climate Change Network in India.
Some experts, however, question the rating framework itself. Chandra Bhushan, CEO of iFOREST, said the CCPI relies on criteria that are not fully transparent. “It is based on very subjective criteria. If you do a proper statistical rating, then it is fine. But they do not follow that principle. They are not objective. One does not know the reason why. So I don’t think we should pay attention to this performance.” iForest is a New Delhi-based think tank.
Gaps in India’s climate targets and pathways
India’s updated NDC commits to 50% non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030 and a 45% reduction in emissions intensity relative to 2005. However, CCPI country experts note that the 2070 net-zero goal is not aligned with 1.5°C pathways. They also highlight the absence of interim milestones for 2035 and 2040, unclear sectoral trajectories and limited consultation with civil society and affected communities.
Internationally, CCPI notes that India positions itself around equity and the principle of Common But Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR) while leading initiatives such as the International Solar Alliance. However, it adds that India’s domestic fossil expansion weakens its credibility in global climate diplomacy.
CCPI concludes that India’s performance could be strengthened through a time-bound coal phase-down leading to an eventual phase-out, which could be achieved by setting a no-new-coal date and a peak coal year, and redirecting fossil fuel subsidies toward decentralised, community-owned renewable energy. It also recommends stronger safeguards for renewable energy siting, binding sectoral and state-level roadmaps for fossil phase-out, and a just transition framework centred on vulnerable communities, smallholders and local ecologies.
However, it is not going to be easy for India. Raghunandan said India faces serious constraints in cutting coal-based power because of rising electricity demand linked to poverty eradication and development, even as solar and wind capacity expand. “Constraints include shortage of investment, power evacuation capacity, storage and grid stability. These cannot be solved in the short term.” He added that the bigger gaps lie in other sectors, including public transport, buildings and waste management, and that India’s NDC 3.0 will show whether these areas are addressed.
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Banner image: Coalfields in Chhattisgarh. While the Climate Change Performance Index 2026 acknowledges climate policy actions taken by India, it also shares that India has no national coal exit timeline, continues to auction new coal blocks and maintains fossil-related subsidies and infrastructure. Image by India Water Portal via Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).
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